A Phenomenological Approach to Strengthening of Brand Attachment Strategy in Product Categories

One of the challenges of marketing managers is to create and maintain a strong and lasting bond with brand as brand attachment. Thus, the aim of this study is to recognize the reality-based guidelines for the establishment and strengthening of its attachment to the brand and obtaining favorable outcomes in classes of durable and fast moving consumer goods. Through performing two pretests to determine the product and brand, sports shoes with Adidas brand and ice cream with Kale brand were selected as the products and brands which people have the most lived experience with them. Data were collected using phenomenological method and carrying out fifteen in-depth interviews based on purposive sampling method with multiple strategies (acute and snowball sampling). Concepts, categories and themes were organized through constant comparison process, open, axial and selective coding, and also analysis of cognitive mapping. Finally, validation of findings was done by the participants. Findings revealed that the proportion of cash gifts with ad messages at construal high level and high argument and in contrast, the proportion of non-cash gift with an ad message at construal low level and high argument lead to strengthening brand attachment and earn favorable consequences in terms of brand trust, brand satisfaction, brand commitment and brand loyalty. These results were similar in both classes of fast moving consumer and durable goods and indicate that brand attachment is independent of product class and is formed based on marketing communications programs.